Wire clothes-pin.



H. G. HANSON.

WIRE CLOTHES PIN.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I0, I9I5.

Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

I III.. b .arr .Ob I I i OFFICE.

HANS G. HANSON, F SPRING VALLEY, WISCONSIN.`

WIRE CLOTHES-PIN. l f

Specicatfon of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.y 18, 1917.

Application med april 1o, 1915. serial No. 20,584.

` To all 'whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, HANS HANsoN, a

l citizen of the United States, residing at Spring Valley, in the countyof Pierce and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Wire Clothes-Pins, of which the following 1s aspecification. L g My invention relates to an nnproved wlre clothes pin.

The primary object thereof 1s to provlde a device of thls characterwherein the grip- 4 erate adjacent their lower ends, the outer jawstending to resist the spreading of the inner jaws, and exerting apositive tension thereon when they are in engagement with a supportingstructure; for attaining that element of absolute security necessary tothe successful adoption of the device. I

The above and other objects which will become apparent are accomplishedby such means as are shown in their preferred form in the accompanyingdrawings, described in the following specification, and more specicallypointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts throughoutthe several views;

Figure l is a perspective view of my inventlon showing the same in anoperative posltion.

F ig, 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View showing a modified form.

In the construction of my improved clothes pin, a strand of resilientwire is bent to form two hairpin shaped members arranged one within theother, said strand being rst bent at a point 10 intermediate its ends,to form the inner member which comprises spaced apart gripping jaws. Thelower terminals of the gripping jaws 11 flare as is clearly shown, tofacilitate attachment and removal thereof.

At the lower terminals of the respective iared portions of the grippingjaws, the Wire strand is bent as at 12 to provide the .of the respectiveother jaws 13, extending substantially parallel with the jaws 11 yet'projecting beyond the upper terminals thereof to provide a handleportion 14. The respective ends of the wire strand are cut at an anglesimilar 'to that designated by the numeral l5 and are adapted to bewelded or otherwise secured together.

Attention is now called to the specific construction of the innergripping jaws. The respective opposite jaws are provided with a seriesof curved portions 16 which are arranged as clearly shown in Fig. 2 topresent a series of vertical openings. It is readily apparent thatbecause of the gradual flare gripping jaws toward their lower ends, theopenings formed by the curved portions 16 will be of varying diameters.The uppermost opening will have the smallest diameter, while the loweropening will be capable of receiving a structure of greater width.

As the pin is pushed downwardly over the structure A in Fig. 1, it willbe recognized that the smaller openings will be brought over the ropeportion B in succession until the opening ofa desired diameter is found.After the pin is arranged in an eiicient position as shown in Fig. 1 theco-action of the outer and inner jaws will become apparent. The lowerends of the gripping jaws will be normally held in engagement with thestructure A by the tension exerted by the corresponding portion of theouter jaws, this not only preventing the accidental' dislodgment of thelpin but assuring a more eilieient and positive grip on the supportingstructure.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have illustrated the respective ends of the wirestrand welded together to form a continuous handle 14 so that the pinmay be easily and quickly manipulated and moved into or out ofengagement with the supporting structure when desired. While this meansof securing the terminals of Wire strand together has proven veryefficient and inexpensive, in Fig. 3 I have shown a modified form whichmay bev used when occasion requires. In this case the respectiveterminals of the strand are curved to form engaging lips 17 the latterbeing shown in connected position. `This form of connecting the ends ofthe strand is also very eiiicient and I desire it to be understood thateither of the constructions may bep employed without deviating from thescope oi my invention. The wire used. in the formation of my device ispreferably that which is constructed of'a non-corrosive mafterial orwhich is coated with a non-corrosive material in order to eliminateoxidation and consequent rustin which would in time soil the clothes andc othes line in connection with which the same is used. l ln reducing myinvention to practice l find that the form referred to herein'as themost, practical and referred embodiment, is the mest eiiicient; utrealizing that certain conditions will necessarily vary in concurrencewith the adoption of my device, desire to emphasize the fact thatvarious .minor changes in details of construction and proportion ofparts ma. beresorted to when required without sacri cing any of theadvantages of my invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what headset ll claim is new anddesire to secure by, lle ters Patent is:

A clothes pin inthe form of a unitary structure composed of a piece ofheavy spring wire bent to form two hairpin shaped members arranged onewithin the other with the legs of the members spaced apart from eachother and from those of the other member, said members being disposed inthe same plane, the inner member having its legs crimped throughout andthe outer member extended at its apex or closed end beyond the closedend of the inner member to form a handle, the ends of the wire beingunited.

ln testimony whereof l affix my slgnature in presence of two witnesses.`

s e. son.y Witnesses R. G. ONDIT, J. A., Nrneenm

